by Claire Kidd | Feb 2, 2023 | All Blog Posts
At the end of 2022, I was invited by Angie Ward, teacher at Mindfulness UK, to co-teach a silent retreat online focussing on kindness and filling your cup with compassion.
I had never led a silent retreat, nor had I had the chance to co-teach any sessions with colleagues.
After some consideration (which included overcoming a touch of fear) I decided it would be a great thing to do and said yes.
Angie also invited Natalie Muallem to join as co-host. We had a few meetings in advance to discuss the topic and how we could bring that to life through various mindfulness practices and other exercises. As it was set for 30th of December, we ensured that there was plenty of time and space to reflect on the year that had just passed and also to look gently into the future.
With a plan in place, some readings agreed and heartfelt practices ready, the big day came.
I enjoyed many things about this unique opportunity.
Firstly, it was a chance to learn from colleagues, as everyone has such a different style and approach, and it was great to experience this during a live event.
I am always learning, and this was the best form of education. It also opened my mind to many new possibilities.
I really absorbed myself in the process. When I wasn’t presenting a session, I stepped back and took time to enjoy the silence. Something I rarely do outside of my daily mindfulness practice.
Reflecting on 2022 was timely as it had been a big year. It was my first-year leading classes for paying clients. It was heart-warming to take that time and see how far I had come. I also looked forward, considering what to take forward into the new year.
Compassion and kindness are so important to the way I deliver my classes. To have a day dedicated to these topics in a retreat is very special.
The calm and gentle reflection at the end of the session was enlightening. It was interesting to hear what the retreaters connected with and how they felt it had helped them in so many ways.
I am so glad I overcame the initial fear of co-presenting a retreat. It’s something I would embrace again in a heartbeat and highly recommend it to everyone.
If you are interested in co-teaching one of our retreats then please get in touch.
by Claire Kidd | Oct 20, 2022 | All Blog Posts
Put yourself in the shoes of an adopted child for one moment. Imagine how confusing it must be when friends talk about their families (Mum, Dad, siblings). Then an adoptive child talks about theirs.
Theirs can involve a birth mother, some foster parents, a forever mum and maybe even some siblings that they don’t live with.
That is hard to process, with an adult brain, but a small child must be wondering who fulfils which role and they might also be thinking – who else is coming next and possibly what did I do wrong to have had this happen to me!
This is the truth of an adopted child’s identity.
All the hard times, loss and complicated life experiences don’t disappear as they settle into their forever home. They are always there and their life story will always be a big part of who they are.
Some people may wonder why they should speak about the trauma that the little one has experienced? Why talk about a family that is no longer there?
Research says that if we ignore it then it can cause more problems, from shame to anger to fantasising about what could have been. Experienced psychiatrist, Bessel Van Der Kolk, who wrote The Body Keeps the Score, explains that the trauma is already there and needs to be processed.
Growing up is hard enough, our children go through developmental stages where they learn about who they are, their place in the world and how important they are.
Adopted children have the extra layer of wondering, for example: why was I rejected? Why am I not with my birth family? Why do I have these big feelings that I don’t understand? Why is it hard for me to trust new people?
These are big questions for small brains and needs to be supported and this is why an adopted child’s support network is so important.
As they start to understand that they are safe, loved and important they need trusted and consistent adults to always be there for them and to love them as they are, no matter what.
Let’s be honest, sometimes they don’t always feel lovable as they push you away, try to be in control, are defiant or aggressive. My daughter and I have a phrase we use in our trickier moments, where I say “I am sticking with you” and she replies “like glue”.
Helping family and friends to understand the impact of trauma on an adopted child, helps them to help the child. Building a strong relationship with school ensures strategies are put in place to help the child feel safe and to be able to learn. Helping other children to understand is really important and also helps teach empathy.
As an adoptive parent, you also need to embrace your child’s identity and their background. The birth family is their first family and will always have a place in their lives.
It’s about digging deep and accepting that the children will have a curiosity about them and want to talk about them.
It’s about keeping in touch with foster families, to show the little ones that they are still there and they still care, and that good adults exist in the world.
It’s about keeping in touch with adoption agencies and seeking as much support as you need every step of the way, and being bold (and sometimes pushy) to get that support.
I believe support should be forthcoming for our children, but I have also learnt that you have to fight for it. You have to be the warrior they need to get the support required.
I have also learnt that parenting is HARD and it’s important to ask for help for me, whilst also investing heavily in self-care.
With this in mind I am so grateful for my mindfulness toolkit. I find the 8-attitudes help me in acknowledging and accepting what is, which isn’t always easy.
Both my daughter and I now have toolkits like breath, mantra, movement and touch to help us manage our big feelings whenever they rise to the surface!
She’s a Mindfulness Warrior, age 6!
If you want to know more about how mindfulness and compassion can support you then please get in touch.
Click here to learn more about adoption and support National Adoption Week. #YouCanAdopt.
by Claire Kidd | Sep 27, 2022 | All Blog Posts
We are now at the halfway point of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher training course and I am really enjoying the course. I love our zoom group; they are a kind, friendly bunch and it is a safe non-judgmental space for sharing learning and leading practices and inquiry.
We have a WhatsApp group where we ask questions, seek clarification and offer each other support. There are also smaller ‘buddy’ groups where some of us meet regularly online to do practices with each other, give feedback and discuss relevant information. Peer support and feedback really helps with the process and is an important learning tool.
I felt quite moved in our last teaching session when we did a whole group ‘mindful movement’ practice where we all took it in turns to focus on an area of the body, then hand over to the next person. It flowed so smoothly and everyone’s contribution was amazing. It felt like one of those perfect, serendipitous moments, never to be repeated again. I never knew that leaning on zoom in this way would be so rewarding.
Some of us are planning to teach our first 8-week MBSR course, arranging supervision, seeking out venues or setting up online forums and engaging with prospective participants. Others are taking it slowly and at a pace that suits them. This is one of the benefits of this course as you’re not restricted to a final deadline to qualify so if you want to take more than a year, you can do so.
The support from our tutor Karen Atkinson at MindfulnessUK is fantastic and I’m just about to sign up to join the Community Membership, which gives access to networking and training events, peer sitting groups, retreats and resources to support your teaching.
If you’re considering doing an MBSR teacher training course but are a bit unsure, I can really recommend this course. I’m looking forward to getting to the teaching and supervision stage and will update with my reflections on that next time.
If you have any queries about this course then please contact the friendly MindfulnessUK team at info@mindfulnessuk.com or give us a call on 01823 697890.
by Claire Kidd | Jul 21, 2022 | All Blog Posts
The team at MindfulnessUK are extremely proud to have taught so many incredible teachers, over many years, in every sector. We really value hearing about their teaching and any feedback on the teaching materials provided during their course.
When you train to become a mindfulness teacher with MindfulnessUK you are invited to join our community. We’re with you at every stage, from practitioner to seasoned teacher, and will continue to support by sending up-to-date materials and resources.
It’s important to continuously share insights, for example, working with trauma-informed mindfulness. This is something that Karen Atkinson, co-Founder and Senior Partner at MinfulnessUK, has been doing for over 20 years. The team teach and train with these skills underpinning their work. Karen wanted to share these considerations in a more explicit and comprehensive way to ensure all students and graduates are well equipped to teach within their own areas of specialism.
We recently sent all our Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training and Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion graduates updated teacher training notes. Helping them in continuing to support others at this most challenging of times.
This is what some of our graduates said:
“Since finishing the IMC, I completed the MBSR teaching component and slowly but surely chipping away at the extensive portfolio. I’m looking forward to the Process of Inquiry workshop in October. I work for the NHS as a pediatric OT and was keen to provide an offering within the Trust I work for. So now I am providing a ‘mindful moment’ every Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunchtime. Staff click on a Teams link to have guided meditation and mindful movement with me which is a privilege and a joy . Feedback has certainly been very encouraging which is heartening.” Cath Gibney
“I did a workplace session this week as part of well-being week and had my first mindfulness client. I also led a session on a yoga retreat and I have my website up and running, and my marketing materials printed. Over the next 6 months I hope to promote my new Facebook page and have some calls for schools going to run the CMR course.” Dionne
Continuous Support And Improvement Is Important To Us.
Without it sounding like a cliché we do genuinely want to look after our students and graduates alike and offer them support both during and after their course. Currently we have an Alumni Community that students and graduates can join, offering monthly sitting groups, a closed Facebook group and a portal containing practices, notes and much more.
We listen to our students and have heard the wish and desire to feel more connected to each other so we will be launching our newly imagined community after the summer break….watch this space!!
It’s never easy to set up your own business but with so much fear-driven anxiety in the world right now, the need for people to feel less separate and more connected to themselves, others and their planet is essential to support mental and emotional health and well-being.
There has never been a better time to explore a career in mindfulness and compassion and support others in every sector of society. We’re experiencing a paradigm shift, would you like to contribute to it?
We have a number of mindfulness and compassion teacher training and continuous professional development courses starting in September and October this year to help you do just this, please visit our website to find out more or contact info@mindfulnessuk.com.
by Claire Kidd | Jul 12, 2022 | All Blog Posts
The MindfulnessUK Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course is a comprehensive 12-month training pathway designed to enable you to gain all the knowledge, skills and materials you need to deliver the 8-week MBSR course to your own clients or workplace colleagues.
It’s a very popular course and MindfulnessUK is a Member Organisation of the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches, a charity that regulates teaching and training of mindfulness in the UK and internationally. The MBSR teacher training gives you a background to secular mindfulness, and all the notes, session plans, practices and tools, allowing you to develop an understanding of how to work with those that are experiencing physical, psychological and emotional difficulties.
At this time of fear and uncertainty in our society, supporting others to feel more connected to themselves and others by teaching mindful and kindness practices, offers ways to live more healthily in the present. These skills to manage stress and build resilience, have never been needed more.
We have recently started teaching our latest cohort and we asked one of our students, Lucy Edwards, whether she would be happy to document her experience. She said yes!
Her Experience So Far:
I was first introduced to mindfulness when I was a teenager and my sister talked me through how to do a body scan. I remember liking how my body and mind felt. Later when pregnant with my first child I started doing mindfulness practices but I never really kept it going in a consistent way until the start of the COVID 19 pandemic two years ago. I found that the practices helped me to cope better with the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic and lockdowns.
I then signed up to the 8-week MBSR course and found it life changing. About half way through the course something just clicked and I realised that this was something that I needed in my life. I was reaping so many benefits to my general well-being that I wanted to continue and explore further, so I decided to sign up for the MBSR teacher training course with MindfulnessUK.
This course teaches you how to teach the 8-week course, based on the original MBSR course developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 at the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic at University of Massachusetts Medical School. I felt excited to get started on the pathway of strengthening my mindfulness practice and helping others feel the benefits of the MBSR.
After the initial excitement, some niggles of self doubt started to creep up in my mind.
- Would I be able to lead mindfulness meditations?
- How would I manage a group of people, with all their own personal agendas and reasons for being there, through this course?
- What if my mindfulness practice experience wasn’t sufficient?
I then recalled the 8 attitudes of mindfulness and how self-compassion, non judgement, patience and trust were integral facets of cultivating mindfulness. I needed to be kinder to myself and definitely less judgmental.
After some pre-course reading, the day of the first lesson arrived and I connected on Zoom with the other course attendees and our wonderful teacher, Karen Atkinson. I was a bit nervous about what the course would entail and whether we would be thrown in at the deep end and asked to lead a practice straight away.
Karen allayed any of our first day jitters and that morning on Zoom, building a new heart-felt community with like-minded people, made me realise that I’d done the right thing by signing up.
I’m really excited and looking forward to the rest of the course and my journey in mindfulness.
Watch out for volume 2 of Lucy’s experience on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training course and if you are interested in finding out more about our next course, which starts on the 30th of September 2022, then click here.
